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EC probe team arrives in Bihar

          Patna: A two-member team of the Election Commission on Sunday reached Bihar to probe alleged rigging in the third phase of polls. Candidates had asked the commission to hold a detailed inquiry into the complaints of booth-capturing and violence in the poll held in Madhepura and Siwan constiutencies on April 26. "The EC has sent two teams, one to Betia and the other to Siwan to look into the complaints. We will look into the problems and meet the candidates and then submit our report," a probe team member K.J.Rao told reporters in Patna. Rao said the team would look into other complaints, besides holding discussions with the poll observers and the district officials. Four rounds of a five-stage election involving 670 million voters, have been held. Exit polls after the fourth round on Monday indicated the BJP would get a majority to come back to power for the second term, after the third phase had predicted a downfall. In Meerut, infamous for notorious criminals, the army on Saturday carried out a flag march before the town goes to polls on Monday. Two companies of paramilitary Indo-Tibetan Border Police have been deployed in Meerut. The polls end on May 10. Votes will be counted on May 13 and results are expected the same day.

Tight security ahead of Monday polls (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Security has been tightened for the final phase of polls on Monday. The five-phased polls to elect a new government enter the last lap with 12 states, national capital Delhi and three federally administered territories slated for polling on Monday. Campaigning closed on Saturday in the 182 constituencies, the largest number in any phase, including seven seats in Delhi. Armed policemen guarded polling booths and patrolled in the ity.

          In Kolkata Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel patrolled the sensitive areas. Shyamal Dutta, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, said that 170 companies of the CRPF were deployed to ensure smooth polling. "We have received 170 companies of the CRPF of which seven companies were given to Kolkata police. We have 163 companies with us which have been fully deployed. They will be deployed in groups, in sectors in quick reaction teams," he said.

           Tamil Nadu also goes to the polls on Monday. With over 568 candidates in the fray in the 39 constituencies, the authorities are working overtime to ensure trouble-free polling. Security drills are on and paramilitary personnel and policemen are patrolling the streets of Chennai.

          Monday's last round of the three-week poll is the toughest for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling coalition. Opinion polls predict the BJP and its allies will struggle to win more than a third of the seats being contested on Monday and could leave his coalition short of a majority. The latest exit polls by NDTV and the Indian Express newspaper predicted the BJP and its allies would pick up just 67 of the 182 seats at stake in the final round of voting on Monday. That would leave them with between 240 and 260 seats overall in the 545-member Lower House of Parliament, short of a majority, the poll said, and well down on the number of seats in the last Parliament. Vajpayee called the election six months early to capitalise on a strong economy, a good monsoon and improving ties with old foe Pakistan. Monday's round is concentrated in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, where the BJP has little presence and is dependent on regional partners. Counting will take place on May 13, with results expected the same day.

BJP in yet another free saree distribution scandal (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finds itself embroiled in yet another saree distribution controversy ahead of elections. Vijay Goel, the BJP candidate from Sadar constituency, has been accused by Congress party members of distributing sarees to lure voters. Congress party workers demonstrated outside the local police station seeking arrest of Goel and his election agent Devender Singh for allegedly distributing the sarees. Meena, one of the many women who claim to have received sarees from Singh, said that they were asked to vote for Goel in return for 500 rupees and a saree. "Vijay Goel BJP candidate from Delhi's Sadar constituency was distributing the sarees. He also told us that we will be given 500 rupees in the evening. Goel's assistant Devendra Singh told us that he will take care of us if we vote Goel," she said. Jagdish Tytler, Goel's rival candidate contesting on a Congress ticket, said that his party workers caught Goel and his assistant while distributing sarees. "Some of our party workers saw Vijay Goel distributing sarees and his assistant helping him. So when they objected, he threatened them. Our party workers then got hold of the sarees and caught both Goel and his assistant. Sensing problem, Vijay Goel suddenly got into his car and fled.

          Our party workers brought the sarees and Goel's assistant to the police station," he said. Countering the allegations, Goel said: "When I was coming back to my house, I saw a mob at a place. I asked my assistant to enquire about it. He saw Congress party workers distributing sarees. Seeing us, they threw stones at us. Then they got hold of my assistant and took him to the police station, and implicated him in the case." The police said that they had received a complaint that a particular political party was distributing sarees and that they were conducting an inquiry into the matter. "We have received a complaint in which allegations are there that one political party was distributing sarees. These are serious allegations. Since we have got a complaint, we will take the legal route. There are also allegations against some officials. We have started an enquiry by an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) rank officer," said Sanjay Beniwal, deputy commissioner of police, North Delhi area.

           On April 12, 22 women were killed in a stampede when officials began giving out free sarees to celebrate BJP leader Lalji Tandon's birthday in Lucknow which is also the constituency represented by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. The five-phase polls to elect a new government enter the last lap with 12 states, national capital Delhi and three federally administered territories slated to go to poll on Monday. Counting of votes would be done on May 13, and results are expected the same day.

Upsurge in violence in Kashmir before final round of polls (Go To Top)

          Surankote/Doda: Indian army said on Sunday it gunned down three infiltrators in Surankote area of Kashmir. Army said it recovered two AK-47 rifles, one sniper rifle and a large quantity of ammunition from the slain militants of the little-known Hijb-e-Islami outfit. Army said the operation was conducted on a tip-off from the local villagers where the militants were hiding in a house. "As per the intelligence reports they belonged to the Jamait-e-Islami...They were three as per our reports, and all three were killed," said Brigadier M.K.Kushwaha. Meanwhile, two people were killed and 11 injured when militants hurled a grenade at a police party in militancy-infested Doda district. Doda, which comes under Udhampur constituency, goes to polls on Monday.